Air travel bubble between Singapore and Hong Kong postponed
- par Thibaud Popelin
- dans Monde
- — Nov 21, 2020
"But we will press on and look forward to when we can safely launch the (air travel bubble)", he said. "More cases are expected in Hong Kong over the next few days due to the emergence of new clusters".
But hours earlier, Singapore had said the bubble would go ahead despite the spike in Hong Kong, with extra precautions added to ensure safety.
Even with the suspension of the travel bubble, Singapore citizens, permanent residents or long-term pass holders can still return to Singapore from Hong Kong by non-bubble flights.
Hong Kong reported 43 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, including 13 untraceable local infections.
"For any scheme to be successful, they must fulfill the condition of securing public health, and also make sure that both sides would be comfortable and feel safe about the scheme", Yau said.
Under the terms of the travel bubble, the arrangement would be suspended if the seven-day moving average of unlinked cases exceeds five per day in either city. The current average of unlinked cases in Hong Kong is almost four.
The air travel bubble is meant to allow visitors between the two cities to travel without having to serve a quarantine
"Consequently, the airline's Delhi-Hong Kong flights have been banned till December 3", the official added.
Singapore's Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung also announced in a Twitter post that the bubble has been delayed.
Meanwhile, Singapore reported five imported COVID-19 cases on Saturday, bringing the country's infection count to 58,148. Originally, only people landing in Hong Kong were to be required to be tested.
"I can fully understand the disappointment and frustration of travellers who have planned their trips".
Travelers under the ATB from Hong Kong will only be required to take a pre-departure COVID-19 PCR test and obtain a negative test result before departing for Singapore on the basis of the previous rules.
Ong said in a Facebook post that the postponement is a "sober reminder that the COVID-19 virus is still with us".
